The Power of Four
by FourCharmed
Summary: The Angel of Destiny must move fast to prevent disaster. Cole has failed to kill the Triad and now the balance has shifted towards Evil. Only by introducing Paige to her three sisters early, can the balance be restored. Paige must learn fast.
1. The Power of Four

_**The Power of Four**_

**Story justification.**

Like a lot of Charmed fans, I have always wondered what would happened if Paige had joined the other three sisters to make a Power of Four. Rather than bring Prue back to life, I used a very old Science Fiction trick of alternative timelines i.e. see Star Trek (all of them!), Babylon 5 and many others.

I chose this to happen at the end of 'Power Outage' as this provides a good excuse (make Cole fail to kill the Triad this time) which means I can use the Angel of Destiny to provide the new plot line at the start of 'Sleuthing with the Enemy'.

_**Cole and the Triad**_

_Previous in "Power Outage"_

Phoebe, in answer to Prue's comment about Cole said "I still can't figure that guy out but I will".

Summoned by the Triad, a wounded and weak Cole, appeared in a burst of flame and fell into the mist covered circle. Only to find himself surrounded by the three red robed, black eyed demons that made up the Triad. Holding his side and trying to stand up straight, Cole found himself barely able to stand. The wound in his side continued to drain his strength, and the pain made it more difficult to concentrate.

Mentally cursing the Charmed Ones and Piper in particular, Cole tried to concentrate. The Triad had summoned him for one reason and one reason only, to kill him for his failure. Any weakness shown now, would result in his instant destruction and he had only one chance left to him.

"I warned you Belthazar, I warned you what would happen if you failed us" came from the Triad member on his left. "He's done more than fail us, he's betrayed us, you have betrayed the Source" intoned the Triad member behind Cole. From the first "You have shown sympathy for the witches". "and wasted a golden opportunity" the third triad demon finished.

After a short pause the third Triad member generated a large fire ball and with a satisfied menace in his voice said "You are allowed one final statement" in a clipped, almost mechanical voice. Concentrating with all his might, Cole said "I've got nothing to say" and then after a short pause to gather his strength "Except this", he pulled the athame from where he had hid it and threw it at the Triad member holding the fireball. Twisting with unexpected speed the demon dodged the knife but fell sideways out of the circle, dropping the fireball and giving Cole one more chance.

In his weakened condition, killing the Triad was no longer an option, only the knife could have killed the demon and weakened the other two. Which would have given Cole his only chance to kill them with his powers. Since he missed and the Triad's power of three was still intact, Cole now had only one choice and he took it.

Shimmering out, Cole disappeared in a burst of flame.

As the third demon returned to the circle and linked with the others, he said "Belthazar must die before he can contact his witch. If the Charmed Ones join forces with him, the combination of his knowledge and their power will make them far too dangerous to us all."

"Yes intoned" another, "but he is hurt and while they trust the mortal Cole, they will kill Belthazar on sight. We must make sure this happens".

**The Making of a Potion**

Its early morning and on a table covered with potion ingredients, a very powerful potion is being brewed. Unaware that Belthazar and Cole are one and the same, Prue and Piper are preparing a potion to vanquish Belthazar. Piper jumped as the Mandrake root she has just added, results in a burst of flame from the simmering purple concoction.

"Ok, even if this works we still have to find Belthazar" Piper said as Prue carefully read from the Book of Shadows. "Well I have an idea on how to do that but first things first, Cockles" Prue replied. "Cockles" Piper questioned. "There over by the Crickets" said Prue.

"And what exactly are they" Piper asked. With a quiet grin Prue replied "Small leaping insects that chirp". "Thats funny, I meant the Cockle shells, not the crickets" Piper replied as she throws one of the shells into the potion. This time there is no reaction.

"I'am not really sure, but so long as they vanquish Belthazar, thats all I really care about" said Prue. Piper agreed "It would be nice to get back to our lives, such as they were."

"Pigs feet" Prue added. As Piper looked at the next ingredient "Yuk". Prue "Yuk" ?. "Yuk" Piper agreed with a bad taste look on her face. "So you can slice off a chunk of Demon flesh but you can't touch a pigs foot?" Prue queried. Piper replied "I'am a vegetarian ".

"Since when" from Prue. "Since now" Piper replied holding the tongs and staring straight at Prue.

In reply Prue picked up another set of tongs "Now is not the time to get queasy, OK, this recipe is very important, we have to follow it to a T" as she picked up a pigs foot and dropped it into the potion. A large burst of flame made them both pull back.

"Ooh" said Piper "poor piggy". "Every thing is in there, we only have to get the slice of Belthazar flesh and we are good to go, lets test it" finished Prue. "Phoebes" she called out.

Piper quietly said to Prue "something tells me she's not in the vanquishing mood". "Why not" Prue said as she poked the potion ingredients with a large spoon. Piper replied "she's worried about Cole, she hasn't heard from Cole in over a week".

"And thats a bad thing ?" Prue added. "Prue" queried Piper. Prue straightened "You know, I don't like him and I don't trust him and it has nothing to do with him being a greasy lawyer".

"Greasy what" queried Phoebe as she entered the kitchen. Piper hastily added "Aah greasy layer, there's a greasy layer on this potion". Phoebe quietly looked at Piper with a sad unfocussed look. "Too much mandrake" Prue quickly added as she continued to stir the potion. With a sudden movement, Piper added, "Ok, what do you say we do this incantation"

Looking somewhat more determined, Phoebe said "Anything to get rid of Belthazar before Cole gets back" as the three sisters came together side by side at one end of the table. "and he is coming back" Phoebe continued. With a quiet concerned look exchanged between Prue and Piper. Piper said "OK" and then all three started the incantation.

"_Spirits of Air"_

"_Forest and Sea;"_

"_set of us this"_

"_demon free;"_

"_beasts of hoof"_

"_and beasts of shell,"_

"_drive this demon"_

"_back to hell."_

Nothing happened and the potion continues to slowly boil.

"Oh it didn't work" Phoebe added with a concerned look. With quick turn of her head Prue added "No, you forgot the Belthazar flesh". "Oh yes" replied Piper as she turned and headed towards the fridge. "how could we forget the Belthazar flesh" Phoebe added.

"She's such a slacker" Prue joked. "Give me a second lady" replied Piper. Removing the lid and reaching for some tongs, she reached in to grab a piece. "Alright, ready?" said Piper as she dropped the slice into the potion.

The effect was instant, as an explosion of steam and flame burst from the pot, throwing Piper across the kitchen onto her back as she landed on the floor. Alarmed both Prue and Phoebe called out her name as they ran over to help her back on her feet.

"Are you alright". Looking shocked and stunned Piper replied "Aarh, killer pigs feet, remind me to stand back next time. "Imm" muttered Prue in agreement.

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	2. Introducing the Angel of Destiny

**Introducing the Angel of Destiny**

Moving into the Dining room, to discuss their next move, the sisters suddenly realised that all of a sudden something was wrong. Immediately checking their surroundings, it was quickly apparent that it was too quiet. Prue moved to look out the window facing onto the street and was surprised to see everything frozen, even the birds. Turning to Piper, "Did you do this?". Moving quickly to look outside, Piper added "No, I can't freeze this large an area".

"Aar sister's" added Phoebe "we have company" as she pointed to a large green robed man sitting at the Dining table and who definitely not been there a few seconds before.

Without hesitation, Prue attacked, trying to use her power to throw the Man across the room, only nothing happened and he continued to smile benignly at them. Prue yelled "Quickly Piper, freeze him". "I'm trying" Piper replied urgently "its not working".

Holding up both hands in full sight, he said "Please I am no threat to you and even if I was, your powers are useless on me. I am an Angel of Destiny and I have come to change your destiny in a way that you cannot imagine."

All three sisters said "what?" as they backed up towards the kitchen. "Leo " yelled Piper, "Leo, Leo". As he failed to appear, she became increasingly concerned. "What have you done to him" she demanded". "Nothing" replied the Angel, "however you will need him so you can learn that you can trust me."

Within in a blaze of white orbs, Leo arrived alongside the table with a surprised look on his face. "How did I get here" he said, "I was with the Elders". As Prue pointed towards the "Angel", Leo suddenly noticed him. With a surprised look that rapidly changed to awe, he said "Are you what I think you are". "Yes" the Angel of Destiny replied. "Please introduce me to your charges, I have extremely important information to impart to them, and little time to do so".

Leo turned to the sisters and said "This is an Angel of Destiny, he's real, very powerful and completely neutral. You can believe what he says".

"Thank you" replied the Angel, "Please relax, as what I have to tell you, is going to shake you, big time".

"What do you mean" Prue asked in a concerned voice, "What do you mean, change our destinies?". "Yes" added Piper.

"This is going to take a while and as I mentioned before I don't have a lot of time. Much is at stake here, basically the future of two worlds and the Grand Design" added the Angel of Destiny. "Before I go any further, we need to summon both your Mother and Grandmother as they must be present".

"Why them" demanded Prue. Both Piper and Phoebe stayed quiet but looked shocked and uncertain of what was happening. "Because they have information that you would only believe coming from them" the Angel replied. "To the attic" and with a snap of his fingers (for a visual effect only), they found themselves in the attic. The sisters standing next to the Book of Shadows, the Angel of Destiny sitting comfortably on Aunt Pearl's sofa and Leo standing to one side.

"Hold on" Piper added in a strained voice, "Leo, what's going on here". "I don't know" he replied "but I know what he is, he represents one of the most powerful forces I know off, far more powerful than any Demon, Elder or anyone else".

With the mention of the Elders, Prue said "Ask the Elders what they know about this, its all to sudden". Leo pauses, then try's to orb up there, only to instantly reappear. "I can't" he exclaims.

"Thats because time is only moving in this room" added the Angel, "even the Elders are unaware of what is currently happening, so your job and the reason for your presence, is to advise them of what is going to happen and why. First you must summon your Mother and Grandmother" he finished, as the Book of Shadows opened by itself to the correct page and five lit candles appeared in the center of the room, spaced equally around in a circle. "Summon them now and I will explain all".

"I think you should do as he asks" said Leo.

With an uncertain look at each other, the sisters started to read the incantation.

"_Hear these words, hear our cry,"_

"_Spirit from the other side,"_

"_Come to us, we summon thee,"_

"_Cross now the great divide."_

In a cloud of white orbs, their mother and grandmother appeared, both with a surprised and then concerned look on their faces. "What's going on here" demanded their Grams. "Ask him" replied Prue, pointing to the Angel of Destiny. "He's the one apparently with all the answers, he claims to be an Angel of Destiny and that he's going to change ours".

"Yes" the Angel replied "and now I must ask you to keep any questions until I have finished here. I should be able to answer most of your questions and as for the rest, you will find them out by yourselves". As all six present, looked like they were about to speak, he added "Please wait until I have finished".

"First, the rules. My role here is neutral so what I am about to tell you, Evil will also be told, but not for another 24 hours, but they will find out. Furthermore, while I can answer any questions, some I will not, as these answers will also be made known to them and they could benefit more than you. Please trust that in this respect, I have your best interests at heart".

"Now make your self comfortable, as this will take awhile".

Reluctantly the sisters sat, Prue and Phoebe on two chairs, Piper joining Leo on a bench while Patty and their Grams remained standing inside the spell circle.

"What do you know of alternative time line theories" asked the Angel.

With only blank looks from all present, he smiled and said "Good".

"An alternative time line occurs when a worlds destiny spits into two different possibilities. This happens all the time, millions of times in every moment, when instead of one choice is made, another happens. Someone turns left instead of right, a bird eats one bug instead of another. These two timelines will then merge. These choices don't effect a worlds destiny as circumstances change to compensate. Another way of looking at this, is if you throw a stone into a river, nearly all the time the river flows around the stone and nothing changes. Only rarely can that stone effect the course the river takes. Thats when you have two different destinies, the river could flow two different ways. And almost always, these two different destinies merge again, as does the river when it flows around the stone. Small differences between the destinies are either averaged or one dominates. Your car keys are not where you are put them and they turn up elsewhere" the Angel added.

"How are we going so far" he queried.

"Ok" came somewhat reluctantly from Leo and Phoebe, but the others still looked somewhat stunned.

The Angel of Destiny continued "However in some circumstances when large differences occur, this merger can result in massive damage. Beings can disappear, history changes or whole communities can change. Anything magical is especially prone to the damage from these mergers".

"How does this effect us" added Phoebe.

"Because such a timeline split has occurred. Belthazar caused such a split 24 hours ago, when he failed to kill the Triad in this timeline but succeeded in another. Major changes like this, especially major magical changes, cause havoc if the time lines merge. To prevent this havoc, I intend to expand the differences so that the time lines separate permanently. Like two branches on the same tree, growing in different directions. This is what I have come to do".

The Angel paused to catch his breath and then continued.

"As an Angel of Destiny, I can look into the future in other timelines and use what I see there, to guide this one. The sisters destiny in the other timeline, where the Triad was vanquished by Belthazar, is as follows. And I will not answer any questions about it, as it is no longer your destiny. Within the next year, in the other timeline, one of the three sisters will die permanently, killed by a demon sent by the Source of all Evil. Who I will not say and as a result the Power of Three will be ended".

Shocked looks appeared on the faces of the sisters, Leo, their mother and grandmother.

After a brief pause to allow the others to recover, the Angel continued "To remake the Power of Three, another will join you".

Neither the sisters or Leo in their shock at hearing that one of those sisters would die, noticed the strange and shocked look their Mother and Grandmother exchanged as the Angel mentioned the other.

"The two surviving sisters and the other will avenge the dead sister and over the next five years face and survive a series of tests and battles like you have not yet seen. Eventually they will vanquish the most powerful dangers and as a reward, find happiness and a future which includes a happy marriage and children".

"But in this timeline, because the Triad still survive, your destiny must change, if we are too prevent the two possibilities merging and the massive chaos that would result. To do this, I intend to introduce the other into your family early. She will balance the Triad's presence and further separate the two timelines".

A shocked silence greeted this statement until Prue was the first to regain her composure. "Which sister?" she demanded.

"As I said before, I will not answer, as your destinies here, could be very different.

Here your destinies have yet to been written, so anything is possible" replied the Angel.

"You said another?" asked Phoebe.

"Yes" replied the Angel and turning to look at the two ghosts, "it is for this reason I have insisted your Mother and Grandmother be present as they are to answer that question".

All three sisters and Leo, looked at the ghosts, with the unasked question plain on all their faces. Stammering, Grams said "I don't know what you are talking about" in a faltering and uncertain voice. Piper spoke for them all "You know what Grams, you were a lousy liar when you where alive and now as a ghost, you're worse".

Phoebe asked " If you know something Grams, you have to tell us, we deserve to know."

"I can't" Grams answered "I'm sworn to secrecy" as she gave a almost pleading look at her daughter. "By who?" asked Phoebe. "Bye me" Patty replied "Bye me".

"Mum" Prue said quietly, joining the conversation for the first time.

Patty continued "We didn't tell anyone, because we were afraid of reprisals, afraid that you girls would be denied your powers, your birth rite. It happened after your father and I were divorced, when Sam and I were together". Patty paused as she looked at her daughters, at the uncertainty and pain on their faces.

"Go on" said Prue.

"You were all toddlers, you just thought Mummy got a little fat. You never knew I was pregnant." Grams spoke up "I was the only one who knew". "And Sam" Patty added.

"Well yes, of course" Grams finished. Patty continued "We wanted to keep the baby of course, but Mother". Patty paused, unable to continue. Grams continued "Well I knew it would be disastrous, you know before you and Leo, Piper it wasn't just forbidden, it was unthinkable for witches to be with Whitelighters, I mean, let alone have children with them".

"So thats why we had, why we decided to give the baby up. Sam and I, took her to a local church as soon as she was born. And we asked the Nun there to find a home for her.

And she found one for her, a very, very good home" explained Patty.

"Yes" finished Grams "and I bound her powers to further protect her".

Finally Phoebe could take no more as she moved to confront her Mother and Grandmother. "Hold it, just wait one minute, are you telling us, that we have another sister". "Your baby sister" answered Patty. "Your baby half sister" interrupted Grams.

Patty continued "But by my half, which makes her a sister witch, well actually not yet anyway, not until all four of you are here together by the book, just like before".

"Charmed" finished Grams.

A stunned silence followed, broken by the Angel of Destiny.

"In the other timeline, your fourth sister remade the Power of Three. After initial difficulties, the two surviving sisters and her became very close, as close as you three are now, true sisters bound by the blood bond that is needed for the Power of Three to work".

"She like you, became a powerful witch, and a great asset to you all".

"But in this timeline, the Triad still survive and this creates an in balance. With your fourth sister joining you, it will allow the Balance to be maintained. Each side gains. More importantly, this will create sufficient difference and will prevent the timelines from merging and the chaos that would result."

"Her name is Paige, Paige Matthews and you have in a way, already met".

"Another P, imagine that" remarked a stunned Phoebe.

The Angel continued "She knows she was adopted, and from her own research, suspects that she may be related to you three. But she has no proof and with your Mother dead, she is too afraid to contact you. For the last few months she has been a regular at P3 because the family connection between you, draws her to you".

Standing up and waving his arm sideways through the air, a picture formed, showing a movie of a young, attractive girl with long black hair, wearing a red dress and boots, dancing in a club. As the movie rotated, it was obviously at P3. "This will allow you to recognise her easily, and decide both yours and her future. One thing I can tell you is that she will come to P3 tonight, no later than 8 pm, alone, which will allow you to contact her".

"What you three must decide, is what to do now. Remember the other side will learn of her existence soon and they will not let her live because of what she could become. With no powers, she cannot defend herself and she has no knowledge of the dangers that will come after her. If you wish her to live, you must contact her, bring her to the manor and return her powers to her".

"How can we return her powers" asked Prue.

"When all four of you are together, and under the Book of Shadows as you were, when you three gained your powers" answered the Angel. "You will gain a powerful sister, half witch and half whitelighter, with powers that complement you three and give you both the Power of Three and a potential Power of Four."

"What are her powers?" asked Patty.

"The powers that all witch's have as well as whitelighters, but merged because she is half and half. Like you all, she will discover what she can do. Her powers will develop and expand as it has for you in the past and will continue to do so in the future" answered the Angel of Destiny.

Speaking quickly before any more questions could be asked, he added "Lastly, your destinies have not yet been written in this timeline, anything is now possible. That one of you will die soon is no longer part of your destiny. It is still possible but only as it has always been possible. You all could survive and gain the rewards that the other three sisters will gain in the other timeline. Or, one or more of you may die.

And for the record, there are no more sisters or brothers", he added with a tight smile on his face.

"The road you walk and how you walk it, is now completely up to you".

As everyone started to ask something, he smiled again and promptly disappeared in a blaze of golden fire. "Hey come back here" yelled Phoebe, "there is still so much we need to know".

A sudden burst of traffic noise from outside, signaled that time was no longer frozen.

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	3. Another sister

**Another sister?**

"I think thats all he's going to say" said Leo

"So what do we do now?" said Prue.

"You must contact your sister, Paige" added Patty, "she needs your protection and training if she and you all are to have the best chance of survival".

"Remember" Leo added "both the Triad and Belthazar are still out there as well as the Source amongst others. Her powers, especially the Whitelighter ones will be a valuable addition".

After a quiet pause as all tried to catch up with what had happened, Prue said "We need to talk about this. I need to take time to consider everything". "I agree" added Piper.

"We can't stay any longer" added their Grandmother, "We love you all, please remember that" as both Patty and Grams quietly faded away.

As she carefully extinguished the candles, Prue said "Lets go down stairs, I think some coffee is needed while we think this over as we have so much to consider".

Leo added "I will inform the Elders what has happened, their advice would be very valuable, although I think its going to be as much a surprise to them, as it has been to you". He disappeared as he orbed out.

A very quiet group of sisters, alone together now, quietly left the attic and trooped down stairs to the living room. Some time later, they found themselves sitting at the dining table, each with a large mug of coffee in front of them which neither seemed keen to drink.

Prue started the conversation.

"Well, what do we do" she asked.

"We must contact her, if only to stop the Source or the Triad from killing her but I don't know about having her as a sister" commented Piper.

"But she is our sister, half or not" Phoebe argued, "remember what the Angel of Destiny said, that she became a true sister, what could we do if there was four of us".

"But how will she fit in" asked Piper, "we don't know her at all, what's she like, will she join us here or want to go her own way?"

"Remember, she is half Whitelighter" Prue added, "her powers could be very different to ours, perhaps more like Leo's. I wonder what she could do?"

Over the next few minutes the sisters debated possible options, however as they started to become increasingly weird and unlikely, they found it more humorous than practical.

Piper finished the discussion by commenting "Lets just wait and see".

Prue changed the subject by asking "Do you think she would join us here?".

"Well, there is the guest room, it will have to be cleaned out" commented Phoebe.

"Or there is the basement!" added Piper with wry grin on her face.

Leo returned in a cloud of orbs with a serious look on his face. "We have other problems to consider as well. The Elders think you must contact Paige ASAP.

Apparently the Triad have persuaded the Source to move quickly against Belthazar and you as they seem to think he will ally himself with you to take them all on. They will panic when they learn about Paige."

"What, are they mad" Piper exclaimed, "that we would join forces with Belthazar in any way". "Agreed" Leo answered "but thats what the the Triad believe. The Elders don't understand it either but one thing is clear, we don't know all the facts yet".

"OK, this is what I think we should do" said Prue. "Paige, is coming to P3 tonight. We need to be there to meet her but what do we do then?"

Phoebe began to list as many possibilities as she could think of,

"One, Tell her the truth, that we are related, that she's half Witch, half Whitelighter, that she has powers, a destiny and that powerful demons such as the Source of all Evil is going to try and kill her. And that if she doesn't join us, they won't rest until she is dead"

"Two, I can't think of anything else!"

Prue commented "Well, since option one is the only option at the moment, she's in for one heck of a night. More likely she's going to think we are all insane and run for it. I know I would, remember what it was like for us, and we had time to adjust".

"Not that long" commented Piper, thinking of the Warlock Jeremy and how quickly he had attacked them.

Prue said "I agree, we have to talk to her and tell her the truth, but not all at once, she's going to have enough shocks as it is, Leo, we will need your help here".

"What can I do" Leo replied.

"I don't know but I know we will need your help" Prue replied.

"We have several hours until P3 opens and we need time to prepare, especially if Demons attack. Evil may not know about her yet, but they do know about us, so we need to stay together just in case".

"Agreed" replied Piper and Phoebe nodded her head.

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	4. At P3

**P****3**

Instead of just Piper, all the three sisters arrived at P3 early, with Leo remaining at the Manor, to prepare the spare bedroom and to watch, in case demons attacked there. The plan was that he could orb out and return with them if this occurred. Sitting at their usual table, chosen for both its dark location and view of both the entrance and main seating area, all three sisters sat together, waiting. Nervous and unsettled, the sisters found it difficult to relax in any way, much less talk, especially as the night progressed and P3 filled up and 8 pm came closer and closer.

"Hey, I have just thought of something" Piper exclaimed "does this mean I have to rename the club P4". Both Prue and Phoebe turned to look at her but refused to answer. "Perfect timing" Phoebe muttered to herself in relief as a young woman, obviously Paige, came down the steps and moved around towards the tables located away from the dance floor.

These tables tended to attract the people who needed to wait for a partner or wanted to be alone. Phoebe decided on the latter as she was obviously uncertain about staying, pausing to look back at what was now the exit several times, before finally sitting at a table surrounded by a padded U shaped bench.

"There she is" announced Phoebe,"over by the second pillar, sitting by herself in the red dress we saw her wearing in the attic. OK, how are we going to do this, there's no more time to discuss it"

Prue decided and in a voice that meant business said "Me first, by myself. If we all descend on her at once, we will only scare her. Don't join me until I signal". Before any of the other two could argue, Prue rose and walked steadily over to Paige and sat down on the other side of the table. Somehow the noise level seemed to drop around the table, as if a barrier formed to slow and absorb most of the music and background chatter. However neither Prue nor Paige noticed, as they looked at each other.

A startled Paige stammered "O, I'm sorry, I didn't know this table was taken". As she started to rise, Prue said, "No please stay, my sisters and I have been waiting to talk to you. Let me introduce myself, my name is Prue Halliwell". Prue was not surprised as Paige nodded and answered "Yes I've heard of you and your sister Piper, she owns this club?". "Yes" answered Prue "and your name is Paige, Paige Matthews, am I right". A quiet "Yes" came from a now clearly nervous and uncertain Paige.

"Great", Prue thought to herself, "she's once step away from running for it. Well in for a penny!". "I know your name because this morning my sisters and I came into some information that effects all of us and you need to be told it as well".

Next, before any signal had been given, Piper joined Prue at the table and Phoebe sat alongside Paige, not too close but with a friendly smile across her face as she handed Paige a bottle of mineral water. "The bartender tells me that this is what you always order" Phoebe explained as Piper passed three similar bottles to the other two sisters and herself. Piper while not unfriendly, refused to smile and examined Paige with a careful look on her face.

Clearly nervous Paige looked at Piper and said, "Your'e Piper and this club is yours, its pretty great". The start of a smile started to form on Piper's face and she started to relax

"Thank you" she replied. Paige then looked back at Phoebe "and you must be Phoebe, I have heard a lot about you all". "Just good things I hope" quipped Phoebe.

"Yes" said Paige, then after a pause "is something the matter, why do you want to talk to me, do you want me to leave?"

"No" replied Prue, as she wanted to get this bit over quickly, "there's no easy way to say this but here goes. I understand you are adopted". A small nod from a startled Paige confirmed this. "And you believe you may be related to us, that we have the same mother, am I right?".

A now clearly scared Paige refused to answer. "Way to go Prue" Phoebe said, "she's now terrified". Turning to Paige with her best friendly look, Phoebe said, "Paige, please relax, we only found out this morning that we all have the same mother, that you are our sister. I am really sorry to drop this on you all at once but we have no choice. You have the right to know and to know it tonight".

"Paige, we know this is the truth, its been confirmed by two sources we trust totally and we want to get to know you and for you to know us. I know this is sudden and must be one heck of a shock but we couldn't think of anyway to break it to you more gently without making it worse" Prue added. "Although there's more shocks to come", Prue, thought to herself, "ones worst than suddenly finding out that you now have three sisters".

Paige began to pull herself together and looking straight at Prue said "What little I have been able to find out, lead me to believe I might be related to you. You said you know two sources who have the proof, could I see it please or meet them, I really want to know about my biological mother and father". Piper thought, "Considering one of the sources is the ghost of our mother, this could be interesting". Both Prue and Phoebe came to much the same conclusion.

"Good" said Prue, "but we can't do this here, we will need to take you back to the manor, where we all live, will you come with us? There's no expectations or demands, we just want to prove it to you and ourselves". After a few seconds of silence, Paige lifted her head to look directly at Prue and simply said "Yes". "Right" said Piper taking charge, "Prue you get the car, Phoebe go with Paige to the front entrance and I will tell the night manager to take over and then join you".

As both Piper and Prue disappeared on their respective missions, Phoebe turned to Paige. "Please, we have some fantastic things to show you and we can answer all of your questions. Its been at day of shocks for all of us, but I can promise you its something you will never regret".

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	5. The Manor

**The Manor**

As Paige entered the Manor doors, Phoebe linked arms with her and escorted her down the hall to meet Leo, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "This is Leo, Piper's boyfriend". "Welcome" said Leo, "I have been looking forward to meeting you".

"Hi, what do you do for a living" said Paige, who couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I'm a handy man, do general work and I help the sisters". As Piper and Prue joined them, something made Phoebe reach out to Piper as Prue touched Paige's shoulder.

All five, froze as the chandelier above them began to shake and light spilled down around them, covering and surrounding the sisters, shining into their eyes and filling each with a feeling of love and energy. For almost 10 seconds the light bathed them, each sister unable or unwilling to move before it finally faded.

"Ok, what was that" Paige asked.

"I think that means, that yore supposed to be here" replied Leo as the other three sisters regarded Paige carefully.

"OK, upstairs to the attic and the Book of Shadows" said Prue, "its time we introduced you to the proof and to what this family means". Looking around her with wide open eyes, Paige allowed herself to be led up the stairs by Phoebe. Staircases, rooms and halls, all build from wood that looked old but still solid, in what Paige knew as the Victorian style passed by. Despite the weird light show and finding herself alone with four people she had only formally met less than an hour before and who claimed that they were related, she was no longer afraid. Indeed she as starting to feel like she was in some respects home and that she could trust those around her. She could sense a feeling of safety and something that felt like family. This was beginning to have an almost dream like quality.

After climbing several staircases, they emerged into an attic, Prue first, followed by Phoebe and Paige and then Piper and Leo. Looking around the large and spacious attic, Paige was immediately struck by two things. A wide variety of boxes, furniture, cases and other less identifiable objects, often covered in dust, that were stacked high around the sides, leaving a large open space down the middle. Despite its small size, one thing immediately drew her attention and seemed to call to her, a large green book sitting on a pedestal in a clear area, in front of some windows. What was a bit more disturbing, was 5 large white unlit candles, arranged in a circle in the middle of the room.

"I thought we where going to meet the people who have the proof?" Paige asked. Prue turned with a smile of anticipation and replied "Yes, we are going to summon them".

"You mean call them, don't you?" Paige replied. "Well, yes, sort of" Prue added.

"First there is something you need to look at" said Phoebe as she led Paige over to the book. "This is our greatest family treasure, and has been passed down from mother to daughter for the last 300 years". "It must never leave the house" added Piper in a no nonsense voice. "Open it and have a look" Phoebe said. Paige took a few seconds to examine the cover. A large over lapping circular pattern, dominated the front. Carefully she opened the book and selecting pages at random, quickly scanned each page. Despite her concentration, she couldn't help but notice the relieved look that each sister and Leo gave each other. Continuing to look at the various pages, she suddenly realised what each page had in common, as descriptions of spells, demons, monsters, potions and other strange topics filled the book.

Turning in alarm to look at her sisters, Paige asked,"What is this book?".

Prue replied "Its called the Book of Shadows and its a book of spells amongst other things".

"What are you guys, witches?" Paige asked as a feeling of uncertainty suddenly swept through her. "And so are you, we hope" added Phoebe. Paige remained silent, trying to work out what was going on.

"Let's prove it" said Prue, "by summoning the proof you wanted to meet". As Leo lit the candles, the three sisters joined Paige by the book and opened it to one particular page. Looking down, Paige read that this spell was to summon someone dead. "O sister, what the heck have I got myself into" was the only thing Paige could think of.

All the three sisters quietly but with care, read out the spell from the page.

"_Hear these words, hear our cry,"_

"_Spirit from the other side,"_

"_Come to us, we summon thee,"_

"_Cross now the great divide."_

In front of Paige's disbelieving eyes, a cloud of white bubbles appeared, gradually forming into the shape of an older but still attractive woman with flowing hair. She formed into a transparent but still clearly visible shape inside the candle lit circle. Immediately, her eyes found Paige and a look of wonder appeared on her face.

Looking at the woman with a quiet smile, Phoebe said, "There's someone here, we thought you should meet".

Looking at the ghost which Paige decided the woman must be, something started to stir inside her, like a memory. The ghost held out her hands and said, "Paige" in a clear and excited tone.

Then from inside Paige, something welled up inside her and she found herself saying in a strange voice, "Mum". With a welcoming look on her face, her mother walked forward, becoming solid as she passed the candles, to wrap her arms around Paige and to hold her tight. With smiles on all their faces, the other three sisters and Leo watched on.

As her mother held her, all Paige's fears faded away and for the first time since her foster parents deaths, she felt both loved and a sense of belonging that she never wanted to end. As her mother released her and moved back to look deep into her face, she said "Welcome home". Paige found herself nodding her head slightly in agreement as she was unable to speak, as emotions surged through her. Holding her tight again, her mother welcomed her back into the family.

Some time later, how long Paige could never determine, she found herself sitting at the dining table, drinking a large cup of coffee, with her new sisters sitting around the table and watching her carefully. The woman who Paige could only think of now, as her mother, sat alongside her, holding her hand.

"So I am a witch, with powers, powers that I am to use to save innocent's from evil, which in turn will be hunting me because of what I am" Paige asked in a tone of voice that combined one part disbelief, one part wonder and one part terror.

"Yes" replied Prue.

"I can understand how you feel" added Phoebe, "we only found out two and a half years ago that we were witches and like you, we had no choice. Being a witch has some great advantages such as our powers and the people we help. Then there are the disadvantages, like the demons and other magical bad guys that are out to get us."

"I have a power?" asked Paige as her mind skipped from one question to another and finally settled on this one.

Leo set about answering.

"You probably have several, especially as you are half witch and half whitelighter. You should have the basic witch powers which means you can cast spells, make potions and scry which is searching for something using magic. Like your sisters you will also have at least one special power that will grow and develop over time. From what we know, your power will complement your other three sister's powers."

"Prue can move objects with her mind, Piper can freeze time and Phoebe can see visions that show the future." Lastly when you join with your sisters in casting the same spell, all of you working together results in a massively more powerful spell, considerably more than four times as powerful". "It was known as the 'Power of Three' and now it might be the 'Power of Four'". "As a Charmed one, you are almost certainly a very powerful witch.

"And as you are half whitelighter, you may have other abilities as well, you could orb, sense your charges and even heal other peoples wounds".

"But, I can't do any of these things, whatever they are" Paige pointed out.

"Not yet" replied Leo "The sisters have been witches for over two years now, their powers have advanced and so will yours. We just don't know what they are yet"

"Why did you do this to me?" Paige demanded as what her future might look like, started to become more apparent.

"We didn't have a choice" replied Leo. "Another source told us if we did not contact you and unlock your witch powers. Evil would find you and they would have killed you without mercy".

Leo elaborated "Where there is good, there is also evil". "Evil is organised and led by a being called the Source of all Evil. He was gifted with extra powers and rules much of the evil beings in San Francisco". "Under him is the Council, a group of powerful upper level demons who advise him. Other groups of demons such as the Triad compete for power with each other. Evil being what it is, if any group gets too powerful, it will challenge those above or be eliminated before it gets the chance". "One way of gaining power quickly, is to kill sources of good, and since the Charmed Ones, which now includes you, are especially powerful, you are all targets".

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	6. Demon's Attack

**Demon's attack**

Paige got to her feet, and stepped back from the table. Looking as she wanted to run away, she said "This is a nightmare, what have you turned me into?".

The nightmare suddenly got worse as three demons, flamed into the dining room and immediately attacked. A fireball sped towards Phoebe who yelped and dived under the table. The fireball hit the wall above her, charing it. The second was aimed at Prue, who was just able to deflect it to one side with her powers so it burst against a wall. The third sped directly for Paige, who flung her hands up to protect her face and disappeared in a cloud of orbs. The fireball continued into the Conservatory, where it hit a window, breaking it.

Piper and Patty responded quickly, using their powers to freeze two of the demons but the third, faster or just luckier, managed to flame out and escape.

As Paige reappeared, she stumbled and almost collapsed onto the floor. "What the heck was that?" she yelled. Phoebe replied "You orbed", turning to look at Leo, she repeated "she orbed". Leo replied "Well that part of her Whitelighter powers work. Now we need to find out how she can learn to control them".

Now Paige saw the two frozen demons, "What the hell are those, where did they come from and what were they throwing?" in a voice went from a yell, to a horrified whisper".

Both Patty and Prue stood up and grabbed Paige's arms to stop her from collapsing in shock and Piper decided that it was her turn to answer some questions.

In a no nonsense voice, she said "Welcome to our world. These are demons, sent presumably by the Source or the Council to test us and find out what we are up too. They throw fireballs, that if they hit you, will kill". Ignoring the 'shut up' look from both Patty and Prue, she added "And now we get to vanquish them before they unfreeze and try to kill us again". "We can use a spell for that".

"A spell?" Paige said in a strangled, half disbelieving voice.

"Wait" she added, "I can feel something, what they are, what they are going to do, they want to kill us!".

"Explain" said Prue.

"Ever since that light show, I suddenly felt that I could trust you, you felt good. But these two feel bad, evil, they want to kill, I don't understand" said Paige.

Leo added "That sounds like your whitelighter Sensing power, but that usually only works with your charges, it could have changed because you are half witch".

"Later", interjected Prue, we have to vanquish these two, Phoebe we need a spell now".

Phoebe thought quickly then said "Got one, its not the best, but it will do".

"Quickly, before they unfreeze, help the sisters with this spell" said Patty to Paige. "Just repeat what Phoebe says."

Gathering around Patty and Paige, all three sisters and a confused Paige, repeated Phoebe's spell.

_Demons that are here._

_It is time to be elsewhere._

_Vanquished to the wasteland._

_By us sisters Four._

As the spell progressed, Paige could feel a massive build up of power between the three sisters and herself, that reached out towards the demons.

To her horror, both the demon's unfroze as they burst into flame, then screaming in pain, they vanished into smoke and disappeared. "I never get tired of seeing that" said Phoebe, the satisfaction plain in her voice.

A horrified Paige replied "We just killed them, I know they were evil, but !", she couldn't continue.

"We didn't have a choice" said Prue. Holding up her hand to silence the others, she continued, "Paige, and neither do you. As a Charmed one, you are part of an ancient prophecy that was made over 300 years ago. That three powerful sister witches would come together to fight evil. They would be called the Charmed Ones. A being called an Angel of Destiny told us that in a possible future, one of us three was to die and you were to rejoin the family to reconstitute the Power of Three. That in that future, because of the blood bond you sensed, you become a true sister, part of this family.

"But now instead of that future, you are to join us now and become part of a Power of Four". "You must have felt that bond when you helped us with Phoebe's vanquishing spell".

Patty interrupted "Its almost midnight, I can't stay any longer. Paige, this has been a day that none of us will ever forget. What ever you think of us, what we did, please remember that we didn't have a choice. If your sisters hadn't contacted you and unlocked your powers, evil would have found and killed you.

I am glad your sisters did come to you, the future may look dark but there will be wonderful times as well and finally I meet the beautiful daughter, I had to give up so long ago. Bless-it be".

She reached out with her hand to gently touch Paige's face and with that Patty, dissolved into the now familiar orbs and vanished.

After a brief pause as everyone was silent with their own thoughts, Prue said "You need to get some sleep Paige. We all need some. We have a guest bedroom and you can stay here if you like."

Paige replied "I'm not sleepy, after everything that's happened, there is no way I'm going to be able to sleep. But I want to go home, to my apartment, I have to think things over by myself".

"But we can't protect you there, you will be all alone" Phoebe protested.

"But I have powers now, and the demons don't know about me yet" replied Paige.

"They will soon" Leo added in a warning tone.

"No" Paige yelled, then in a quieter voice said "I'm going home". She turned and started to walk to the door, "I will take a taxi". "Wait" said Leo "I will orb you home, its quicker and safer". Before Paige could react, he grabbed her hand and they orbed out.

A startled Piper called out "Leo" then in a frustrated tone added "he could have waited, whats he thinking of?". As the sisters waited for Leo to return, they discussed what had happened. There was so much to digest about the future, what was going to happen".

Leo orbed back. "She's back in her apartment and now I know where it is, so I can keep an eye on her. If she is attacked I can either summon you three to help her or orb her back here. And you need to sleep as well. Assuming the Angel of Destiny is correct, the Source, the Council and the Triad will find out about her soon". And in a somewhat bitter tone, he added "And when that happens, all hell is going to break loose".

"Get some sleep, all of you. I will watch Paige, after all, she's my charge now, just like you three. She should be safe, at least until noon tomorrow as the 24 hour delay the Angel mentioned, won't run out till then". After kissing Piper gently, he orbed out.

The three sisters, quietly walked up the stairs towards their bedrooms, each with their own thoughts. Prue, wondering about the future and which sister was fated to die in the alternative timeline. Piper, wondered about Paige and how she would fit into the family, or would she run and go her own way. And Phoebe, whose thoughts returned to Cole and where was he, what had happened. Sleep would come to them all, but not quickly.

Paige was also finding it difficult to sleep. And when she did, her dreams became nightmares, as she was chased by fire ball throwing demons that turned into the sisters, then back into demons. A concerned Leo, watching her mental state from another plane, finally called in a favour from a "sandman" who soothed her dreams and allowed her to sleep with out nightmares.

One being, unable to sleep, was Cole, who was hiding in a mausoleum. The pain of his wound and the constant fear that the Triad or another demon would find him, prevented any sleep. Alone with his thoughts, he wondered what he could do. He kept thinking of Phoebe, at times wanting to stay away to protect her. Or wanting to be with her despite what could happen. Unaware of Paige, he knew that the three sisters would protect Cole, assuming they didn't kill him first if they found out about Belthazar.

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	7. The Morning After

**The Morning after.**

Paige woke late, to find herself alone in her bed on a bright sunny day. As yesterdays events returned fresh to her mind, she hoped that everything was just a nightmare. Needing to talk to someone, she wondered if Glen was back in town and would come over. She started to look for the phone and as usual, it was no where to be found. Finally as her patience ran out, she said in a frustrated and loud voice, "Where is that phone?"

All the previous day's events came rushing back again as the phone appeared in her hand in a cloud of orbs and at the same time her door bell rang. Dropping the phone, she ran to the door, hoping that it was Glen. Opening the door as far as the security chain would allow, she looked around its edge to see all three sisters and Leo waiting.

"Good morning" Phoebe called out,"have a good night's sleep?"

Prue said "We thought we would come over with brunch. Piper has cooked a great meal, I hope you have enough cutlery and plates." Piper smiled as she held up a large covered dish and said "Hope you like it".

With a stunned look on her face, Paige closed the door and backed away from it. Her confusion got worse as the security chain undid itself, the handle turned and the door opened to allow the sisters in. Prue smiled "We need to talk and bring you up to date with what happened yesterday and where to from now. But first I think you need to get dressed".

Piper had already turned Leo around and added "Put some clothes on lady" in a half amused voice.

Paige looked down at her pajamas, and looked up to protest "Their decent!", before giving up and retreating to her closet to put something else on. A rattle of plates and cutlery showed that Piper and Prue had found her kitchenette. Phoebe wandered across her apartment, examining everything. "Hey this is really nice" she called out. Leo remained facing away from her, carefully examining the wall. Paige chose jeans and a T shirt, and quickly got dressed.

"Ok Leo, you can turn around now" Piper said and turning to Paige asked, "Hungry?"

"Tomato, egg, vegetable and potato cheese bake", my recipe, just the thing to get you started on a weekend".

Paige couldn't help herself as her stomach rumbled loudly as a delicious smell wandered across the room. Prue said "We thought that it would be easier to talk if we all had something to eat". Finally Paige decided to join in. Taking an offered plate from Piper, as well as a knife and fork and with a quiet thank you, she sat down at her table. The other four all took plates etc and joined her. Phoebe and Prue at her table while both Leo and Piper sat on a sofa with their plates on their knee's.

Paige started on her meal with increasing enthusiasm as how good it tasted registered. "This is really good" Paige said to Piper "I've never tasted better".

The other three nodded in agreement as their mouths where full.

Piper visibly relaxed and smiled at Paige. "What would you like to know?" she asked.

"Yesterday was not a dream, was it" said Paige. "No" it wasn't" answered Prue "and there are other things we have to talk to you about, things that can't wait".

"How did the door open?"asked Paige. "That was me" replied Prue, "remember that I can move things with my mind". "I think I can do that to" Paige said. Leo looked up startled and asked "What do you mean?". Paige said "I was looking for my phone and when I said 'phone', it just appeared in a cloud of white bubbles and fell into my hand."

"Show us" said Leo. Paige called out "Phone" but nothing happened. With a sudden annoyed look on her face, Paige held out her hand and said loudly "Phone". As before, a cloud of orbs appeared above her hand and her phone dropped into her hand. Almost dropping it, Paige said "Thats what happened".

Leo explained "That's new, its called orbing. I haven't seen it work like that before in a Witch, it looks like a mix of your whitelighter power to orb and Prue's telekinesis power. After all, the Angel of Destiny did say that Paige's powers would complement her sisters and she is the first half Witch, half Whitelighter ever. I would say that she has all the Whitelighter powers but they have been changed by her witch half. The Elders are going to freak out, this has never happened before".

"Well the Elders are going to have to get used to it, aren't they" snapped Piper "after all our children will also be half Witch and half Whitelighter".

"You keep calling Leo a Whitelighter and that I am half Whitelighter, what is a it?" asked Paige.

Leo answered "A Whitelighter is a guardian angel for Witches or future Whitelighters, our job is to watch over them, protect when we can and help them develop their abilities. Usually we do this from a distance and don't make contact. This is not always possible around powerful Witches, such as you four".

Phoebe added with a big smile "Especially when you fall in love with one of them and want to marry her".

"Which is sort of what happened with your mother, after your older sister's father left, your mother fell in love with her Whitelighter Sam, and you were conceived" Leo continued.

Looking at Leo, as he seemed to have all the answers, Paige asked in a voice suddenly full of pain "So why was I abandoned and where is my biological father?".

"Back then it was forbidden for a Whitelighter to have any relationship with their charge, much less have children. Your parents would have been severely punished and both you and your sisters could have suffered as well. They believed that this was the only way to protect you and the rest of your family" Leo answered. He turned to look at Piper and added "Things have changed, especially now with you here".

Piper replied in a hard tone "They took their time and it will be a long time before I forgive them for the pain they put us through".

Seeing Paige's uncertainty, Prue quietly added "They tried to stop Piper and Leo from being together. They had a hard time for a while there".

Phoebe spoke up "We met your biological father, Sam last year. He was protecting people from the Demon that killed our mother. He died helping us vanquish it". The pain in her voice was obvious to all.

"So why did I get my powers now?" asked Paige as she looked over at Leo.

"Eat up everyone before the brunch gets cold, It tastes too good not to" he replied.

Piper threw him a smile as he continued "Two different timelines have been created, and you rejoining the family and gaining your powers now, is one of the timelines, this one.

In the other timeline, this happened much later. Apparently something changed in our timeline. The Triad sent a powerful and dangerous demon called Belthazar to kill the sisters. He failed and the sisters managed to hurt him badly. The Triad must have tried to vanquish him for his failure".

"In the other timeline, Belthazar vanquished the Triad but here he failed. The Elders think that because Evil gained in this timeline, this is the reason why you had to gain your powers early instead of later when one of the sisters died. There you rejoined the family to reconstitute the Power of Three".

"That was said before, does that mean one of you will die" gasped Paige.

"Not now" replied Leo, "well the Angel of Destiny made the point that it could still happen but who, when and where, it could anyone, anytime, anywhere or not at all".

"Things haven't changed at all then" said Piper, "its everything as normal" in a somewhat bitter tone.

Leo continued "What we have to do now, is prepare you for what the future will bring. You need to learn to control your witch skills and Whitelighter powers. They, like your sisters powers, will develop, become more powerful as you gain more control over them.

So far, we know you can orb and with practice you will learn to orb anywhere around the world, and take people with you. You can also orb objects to you by calling them, that's new and only time will show how that develops. Also you can sense both people and demons feelings and intentions, its almost like an empathy power but that's very rare this early. This seems to complement Phoebe's premonition power. And I guess that at least one more power may show up, something to complement Piper's.

Also you may develop other Whitelighter powers, like healing, but thats big and often takes years before you learn that ability".

Phoebe spoke up "The Book of Shadows will help you, its a collection of spells, potion making, notes on demons and how to vanquish them as well as many other magical topics. These have been added over the last 300 years by our ancestors and is one of the most famous magic books around. Its never failed us yet".

"However evil wants it badly so it must never leave the manor. It can protect itself from evil but several demons have tried lately, including Belthazar" finished Piper.

"Is that why you looked so relieved when I started turning the pages, yes I noticed the looks you gave each other" said Paige. "Yes" answered Prue, "if you had been evil, the book would have repelled you".

Prue added "And we have to teach you all the witch skills you will need to know, skills like spell casting and potion making. Also the rules that govern what we are allowed to do, and what can go wrong and often does! We have been learning for the last two and a half years, so you have some catching up to do".

"How long do I have to learn all this?" asked Paige.

"Until lunch" replied Piper "if we are lucky".

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	8. Later in the Underworld

**Later in the Underworld**

"Explain" said the Source of all Evil as he looked past the various demon council members to the Oracle. "There is another" she replied, "a new Charmed one".

"A new Halliwell sister has been found and the Charmed ones have wakened her powers, they are now four".

"Why now" the Source demanded. The Oracle replied "From what the Angel of Destiny told me, Belthazar failed to vanquish the Triad when destiny said he should have. To maintain the balance, the fourth Halliwell sister was made known to the Charmed ones and her powers awakened. She has the same mother as the other three, but her father was the witch's Whitelighter".

The Oracle continued "One demon may have seen her, he is the only demon who survived the last attack on the Charmed ones. He said that she orbed to avoid his attack".

"So she is a half breed and new to her powers. She should be easy to kill" said one of the council members. "But the Charmed ones know of her and have restored her powers. If they are protecting her, then getting close enough to kill her will be very difficult" said another. "And what of Belthazar, if he allies himself with them, his knowledge and their power will be dangerous to us all" added a third.

"Enough" said the Source, "Belthazar must die. The reward I now place on his head will make every bounty hunter go after him. He will not last long"

"As for the new witch, I will deal with her. If I can not turn her to evil, I will kill her.

Oracle, go and find her, do not disappoint me".

**Comments**

**Plot Order for the "Power of Four"**

Belthazar - Change ending Of "Power Outage" so Triad Lives.

This sets up new alternative.

Repeat Scene 1 "Sleuthing with the Enemy"

then introduce "Angel of Destiny"

Set up new Destiny to introduce Paige.

Bring Paige into Family

Paige's reaction

Paige's powers to complement the sisters.

Can Orb

Teleport orbing to complement Prue

Sensing future intentions to complement Phoebe

Transformation to complement Piper ? (undecided)

The underworld's reaction.

**Introducing Paige.**

Started this in 'Power Outage', as this allows the other episode guides to be rewritten to include first Paige (rest of season 3) and then Prue (season 4 onwards). Some episode's won't work, such as 'Charmed again' and 'Hell hath No Fury' but the rest should work. Some would be more difficult, an example would be 'Something Wicca This Way Goes'. But there is probably a way around it.

Off course, other plot lines (fan developed) can also be used, although this has already been done a lot elsewhere.

**Paige**

She still has her witch powers like the other three sisters but as in the TV series, these are initially weak. Given three sister teachers, Leo, Cole? and the demonic future ahead for all of them, I would expect both her witch and whitelighter powers to develop rapidly.

I assume Paige would have got on well with Prue (older sister to younger sister), then Phoebe and finally Piper as per the TV series.

I changed Paige's powers to complement all the sisters, rather than just Prues. The powers that she has here are based round her Whitelighter abilities. Mainly because I didn't want Paige's original power to make it obvious that Prue was the sister that was fated to die. To prevent Paige from being too powerful as she now has several powers, I changed the scope of her powers, at least for the time being. At the moment she can only orb objects (i.e. Teleport) but not move them like Prue's Telekinesis can. So she can't throw them across a room. I gave her a 'future intentions' sensing power to complement Phoebe's. In the TV series, Paige showed that her impressions of people ( ie Cole !)tended to be highly accurate. Something that both Piper and Phoebe learned to trust.

The only power that I could think of that would complement Pipers, is the power to create something from something else (Transformation) ie Lead into Gold. Two problems with this, its a major power by itself and it doesn't fit what people think Pipers power is at the moment. Mainly because her power isn't so much freezing time but molecular immobilisation / combustion (see Exit Strategy).

This could be introduced later on.

Other possible plot changes that could be explored, could be around the Power of Four. This is only mentioned once in the TV series when the good and evil Phoebe's and Paige's team up. With the power of Three being so powerful, then a true power of Four (all four sisters), could be too powerful. Too much power could burn out the sisters or it may not. Still it does allow for different combinations of the Power of Three and a really major Power of Six! or even Eight (see above).

Other than these changes, I tried to keep the plot lines, characters etc the same as much as possible. I have borrowed some of the dialog from the TV series, especially at the start but also various comments made by the characters at various times. Readers may find it interesting to spot them.

Still other possible scenario's could be interesting to explore. See below.

**Future Intentions**

Explore the theory of Magic, how it works as Paige learns the craft. How spells, potions etc work (see Charmed wiki).

Also the Power of Three / Four as depending on how you 'calculate' the increase of a spells power when more than one witch is involved. Apart from the blood bond which must be present for this to work, the power increase could be.

If 1 witch = 1, 2 witches = 2x2 = 4, 3 witches = 3x3 = 9 and 4 witches = 4x4 = 16 or.

2) If 1 witch = 1, 2 witches = 2*2 = 4, 3 witches = 3*3 = 27 and 4 witches = 4*4 = 256.

This is why I was wondering if a Power of Four would be too much power if 2) is how it works.

Also how the sisters relate to each other. I think Prue would have worked well with Paige as an older sister to younger sister relationship. Phoebe in the TV series, accepted Paige quickly and Piper took the longest. Paige of course has the most difficulty, suddenly having three extra sisters.

Not kill of any of the sisters despite the Angel of Destiny's comments, after all the main idea is to examine the idea behind there being four sisters.

**Other possibilities**

The Triad is still around in corporal form, so is more likely to be a problem. And Christie is still being groomed for the Ultimate power.

Prue meeting the love of her life, getting married, pregnant (not necessarily in this order) as both Bane and others (see Look Who's Barking) are available. Probably should wait until Wyatt is borne.

To come:

**The training of Paige**

**Belthazar's fate**

**The Source v The Charmed Ones**

**Sleuthing with the Enemy (alternative version)**

**Also Bride and Gloom revisited (should be fun !)**

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